VIDEO: Screening before early food allergen introduction may be inaccurate, unnecessary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In this Healio exclusive, Matthew Greenhawt, MD, MSc, FACAAI, discusses screening children before early introduction of allergenic solids at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

“My recommendations for a number of years have been against screening,” Greenhawt said, adding that one issue is insufficient testing accuracy. “The problem with our allergy tests is that they aren’t very specific, and you end up with a lot of false positives.”

Ultimately, what matters is the early introduction of food allergens, regardless of whether children are screened, he added.

Greenhawt is a professor of pediatrics in the section of allergy and the director of the food challenge and research unit at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Watch the video for more.